Do you know why BSNL cannot be stopped in the valley?

Srinagar, August 23: The number of Amarnath yatra pilgrims dropped by more than 1.25 Lakhby 1.32 lakh and even then BSNL sold 11,000 SIM cards this year to the pilgrims as compared to 7,200 sold last year.

BSNL is the only operator in the state which has the permission to operate and continue during the turmoil that has hit J&K, specifically the valley hard and has continued for 45 days now. The number of BSNL subscribers has increased manifold in the past two months. For the record, BSNL sold around 20,000 mobile connections in the Valley in the past two months alone combined with 3,500 broadband connections increasing its overall sale by up to 40 per cent.

The reason behind BSNL getting permission and not others lies in the employment of its services in the government sector. Most of the government post-paid mobile numbers are of BSNL’s and there is absolutely no other landline player in the state at present.

Almost all the government officials, in government departments as well as police and security personnel based in J&K use BSNL and as such stopping BSNL services can tantamount to bringing a halt to the government machinery.